From the Recruiting Trail: A visit with Offensive Tackle Raymond Pulido after Offer from Ole Miss
At St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California, things are finally back to normal after the COVID-19 pandemic altered activities and caused the Braves to go two years without spring football workouts. Rising senior offensive tackle Raymond Pulido is taking full advantage of his gridiron time and on April 28 was offered a scholarship by Ole Miss.
after a great conversation with the @OleMissFB coaches i am happy to say that i have a offer to @OleMissFB @DannyLockhartS1 @CoachR_Sandoval @Lanthonymorales @CoachDane1 @CoachThornton61 @charlieweissr pic.twitter.com/ZEA9CnDBuC
— raymondpulido79 (@raymondpulido55) April 28, 2022
This past Wednesday St. John Bosco held its spring college showcase, giving an opportunity for more than 100 of its players to showcase their skills to coaches in attendance from 65 colleges and universities.
What the Braves are doing is working; in the last five years, the program has seen 69 of its student-athletes go on to play football at 43 different colleges.
Add Pulido to the list of talented athletes who will play at the next level.
Raymond Pulido aka Big Ray has to be one of the most strongest OL I’ve ever met. At 6’7” 355lbs he moves amazing at that size. He’s a mauler. Swallow you up with those long mammoth arms. At THE FRONT it’s obviously clear, he has the size and ability to play on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/h7rHPPnSW7
— Big Dave Uiagalelei (@DUiagalelei) March 16, 2022
It’s easy to see why the 6-foot-7, 355-pound offensive lineman has offers from Tennessee, Louisville, Miami, UCLA, Arizona, Maryland, Washington and Washington State — and why the Rebels have made the offer.
Pulido, who played his his last two seasons at Apple Valley (Calif.) before transferring in to Bosco in the off-season, could potentially also move inside and play guard in college.
The advent of the transfer portal and the one-time transfer in college football have made it important for high schools to get more creative in finding ways to offer better exposure for their athletes.
Spring practices at the high school level are no longer just conditioning and practices; schools, like St. John Bosco, are hosting their own recruiting events for coaches and media over the course of their spring workouts.
Here’s Pulido on May 11 at the Braves’ showcase.
From earlier at St. John Bosco. Offensive lineman Raymond Pulido getting in some work with a bunch of coaches looking on.
He’s got official visits set for UCLA and Louisville. Alabama and Arizona are also in good shape to earn OVs from the 2023 recruit. pic.twitter.com/AudUvos6Sf
— Matt Moreno (@MattRMoreno) May 12, 2022
Pulido currently ranks as the No. 53 OT in the 2023 class and the No. 73 overall athlete out of the Golden State. You can bet he and Ole Miss commit Jordan Lockhart are ready to lead their team to as St. John is projected to be the number one team in southern California this fall.
The Rebel Walk visited with Pulido in an exclusive interview recently to talk about his recruitment and his offer from Ole Miss.
A Visit with Raymond Pulido
Rebel Walk: You have really burst onto the scene as one of your class’ top linemen. What did it mean to you to earn an SEC offer from Ole Miss?
Pulido: It felt great! It feels like being at Bosco is helping me take bounds as a player and a recruit.
Rebel Walk: What has stood out to you about the way the coaches and Ole Miss have recruited you?
Pulido: I love the energy they were giving and that has only been through the phone. I would love to get out soon to see them in person.
Rebel Walk: Will you be taking any visits or camping in Oxford?
Pulido: I believe I am heading out sometime in June, but not sure on when though.
Rebel Walk: What is your x-factor skillset that you think makes you stand out as one of the top o-linemen?
Pulido: I want to be known for locking people up and finishing through. I work pretty hard on my grip strength so I can never let go when I latch on.
Rebel Walk: Do you have a timetable as to your commitment of narrowing down your top schools?
Pulido: I’m thinking sometime between August and November, but unsure as of the date.
Rebel Walk: What is your go-to jam this off season?
Pulido: My go to jam is probably got to be ‘Coming Undone’ by Korn.
Rebels, you can expect more offers will be rolling out over the next few weeks for the nation’s top talent like Raymond Pulido.
Stay tuned for recruiting updates here at The Rebel Walk, and follow Lee Ann Herring on Twitter for all the latest.
(Feature image graphic: Lee Ann Herring, The Rebel Walk)
Lee Ann Herring-Olvedo
Lee Ann is the Director of Recruiting for The Rebel Walk. She is a veteran SEC sports journalist and NFL content writer. She is also the Sr. Editor for MESPORTS digital. Herring-Olvedo is a Brown University graduate who loves good cigars, good games, and a smooth glass of bourbon — not necessarily in that order.
